See you at Leicester City… said the fitter to the finance director

What makes an organisation great to do business with? Its staff. The products have to be good, of course, but it’s the staff who have to be fantastic. And at Bradbury Flooring we’re proud to be able to shout from the roof tops that we have a great team. Everybody makes a difference, and that’s why we’re successful.

But it’s not always easy to pull together. With many of us working out of the office, far and wide, it can be hard at times to maintain the camaraderie that leads to the quality of service and commitment to our customers that we’re known for. So how do we achieve it?

Communication, that’s how…

Taking the time to ALL get together to listen, discuss, and swap ideas

Every year, we hold a staff meeting; this year it was at Leicester City Football Club. But these aren’t gatherings where directors transmit and staff sit and listen. They’re fun meetings where strategies are shared, ideas are discussed, and improvements are found. The thing is, those of us working at head office can do this any time, but our fitters are out and about every day. Communicating messages and receiving feedback can be difficult when everyone’s rushing around. And we know it’s our fitters who are on the frontline… Their thoughts are critical to the business.

Easing scepticism, boosting success

In the past, we’ve found these get-togethers to be the ideal time to introduce new ideas. Recently, we’ve been working on improving performance. Incentives and bonuses are a proven way to reward good work, so introducing Key Performance Indicators was a hot topic for this year. We put our hands up; we had expected to encounter some scepticism on the subject. It can very easily come across as a future means of damaging morale. But as is the Bradbury Flooring way, the whole team sat down to talk. We discussed the positives and we addressed the concerns.

We all agreed that as a team we’re incentivised by carrots, not the beating of a stick. And after a round table discussion, it became very clear to all that KPIs are an ideal vehicle for rewarding great work whilst also highlighting where additional support is required. We are a proactive company; prevention is definitely preferable to cure.

From fitters to finance directors, we’re in this together

So yup, that’s it. We realised at the end of this year’s meeting that this is exactly what Bradbury Flooring is all about; making things work so all can enjoy the benefits of our success. From staff, to suppliers, to contractors, to customers… we all have a role to play. And that means we all have a voice. We can all speak without being judged. Constructive criticism is as welcome as outright praise, for if improvements can be made… we should make them. And that is why our fitters are trained to go the extra mile for a customer. Our administrators are motivated to strive for efficient accuracy. And our managers are encouraged to lead by example.

So what can you look forward to in the coming year?

Well, having shared and discussed our thoughts this year, we’ve come up with a range of ideas. From updating you regularly with our news worthy stories and fabulous installations, to further developing our strategy to reduce the use of solvents. From striving to ever-improve our health and safety work practices, to moving forward with exciting developments on our apprentice and trainee scheme. And that’s just the stuff we can tell you about at the moment… Sound good? We thinks so. Watch this space!